Talking Real Money - Investing Talk
Financial talk radio veteran, Don McDonald and former host of Serious Money on PBS, Tom Cock, join forces to talk about real money issues. In each episode, they solve real money problems, dole out real investing (not speculating) advice, and really explain the financial issues that effect all of us. Plus, it's actually fun! Talking Real Money is a podcast designed to provide the real help we all need to enjoy a really great future. Call in with your questions anytime at 855-935-TALK (8255).
Episodes
July 4, 2025 • 28 mins
In this fast-moving, fraud-fighting episode of Talking Real Money, Tom Cock is joined by longtime consumer advocate Herb Weisbaum (aka The ConsumerMan) to expose two of the fastest-growing scams in the U.S.: predatory solar sales and the “pig butchering” crypto scam. Herb details the dangerous combination of shady sales reps and shadowy financing pushing overpriced, underperforming solar systems door-to-door. Then, the duo dives in...
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July 2, 2025 • 43 mins
Gen Z may just be schooling the rest of us in retirement savings—sort of. Don breaks down why the kids are all right… and also why they’re misled. Auto-enrollment rules, social media misinformation, and shaky FinTok advice are all under the microscope. He then tackles smart ETF choices for young investors, questions about windfall investing and burial plots, the overhyped Shell-BP merger rumor, the madness of MicroStrategy’s crypto...
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July 1, 2025 • 45 mins
The market hit another “all-time high”—shocking no one. Don dismantles the myth that record highs are reasons to panic or pull back, reminding listeners that long-term investing and diversification remain undefeated. He breaks down the actual recent S&P 500 data, explains why global diversification matters (even when it lags), and skewers both single-stock overconfidence and scammy ETFs promising outrageous yields. Listener calls d...
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June 30, 2025 • 29 mins
Don and Tom tear into the lunacy of financial predictions—starting with famed doomsayer Nouriel Roubini suddenly turning optimistic (is that a good sign or a terrifying one?). Then it’s onto Ron Baron and his wildly volatile, high-fee Barron Partners Fund, which beat the QQQ—barely—by taking massive concentrated bets on Tesla and SpaceX. Finally, they answer listener questions about portfolio diversification, international exposure...
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June 27, 2025 • 21 mins
Tom welcomes Roxy Butner back to field listener questions on retirement income, Roth vs. traditional 401(k) choices, car financing math, leftover 529 rollovers, and bond price confusion. Listeners hear sharp, practical advice on optimizing savings and withdrawals—without slipping into tax traps. Plus, a shoutout to the record 401(k) savings rate and a surprising mini-lesson on estate planning trends.
0:05 401(k) savings rates hit ...
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June 26, 2025 • 28 mins
In this episode, Don and Tom dive into a revealing YouGov survey that shows Americans might not be as overconfident as we thought—except when it comes to trustworthiness, loyalty, and… mechanical skills? The guys unpack what this means for investors, especially the surprising gaps between men and women in self-perception. Then they outline the traits that actually do make for above-average money managers—like patience, discipline, ...
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June 25, 2025 • 45 mins
Don tackles the dangerous myth of “safe” high-yield investments, calling out misleading financial advice around covered call funds and non-traded real estate deals. He takes calls on 529 plans vs. UTMA, long-term care insurance pitfalls, robo-advisors for special needs planning, and a shady pitch for a fixed-indexed annuity disguised as a fiduciary recommendation. He ends with a birthday shoutout and a reminder of why good advice m...
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June 24, 2025 • 45 mins
Don flies solo from Florida while Tom continues his Euro-tour, tackling the deep flaws in Morningstar’s mutual fund and target-date fund ratings. He skewers their cozy relationship with high-fee fund companies and explains how commission-based funds keep getting top honors while cheaper, investor-friendly alternatives like Vanguard are buried down the list. Don also fields live calls about asset allocation, inherited IRA distributi...
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June 23, 2025 • 29 mins
Don and Tom expose the seductive illusion of “wealth without risk” by dissecting the explosion of equity-hedged ETFs and mutual funds. They tear into the high fees, low returns, and false promises sold by funds claiming to protect investors from market drops while capturing the upside. With support from recent Wall Street Journal coverage and AQR data, they explain how these “hedging” strategies—especially options-based ones—often ...
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June 21, 2025 • 29 mins
CORRECTION: During the 13:45 caller, I gave erroneous advice on the withdrawal rules for an inherited IRA. Given that this was his father’s IRA, he is not eligible to wait until the end of the 10-year period. So he will need to distributions and, then, make a charitable gifts. -Don
Don tackles a stack of listener questions in this rapid-fire Friday Q&A, covering what a financial plan should cost, how tipping might work in a cashle...
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June 18, 2025 • 45 mins
Don and Tom dive into the human obsession with prediction—especially in finance—and why models fail us more than they help. They dissect the CAPE ratio, Fama vs. Shiller, and why “knowing” the market is a fool’s errand. Listeners also get lessons on ETF pricing myths, market cap misunderstandings, SEP Roth IRAs (spoiler: they’re basically unicorns), and whether dad deserves a gift or just more responsibilities.
0:04 We crave certa...
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June 17, 2025 • 45 mins
Don and Tom tackle the behavioral trap of “home bias” in investing—why U.S. investors tend to overinvest domestically and why it’s dangerous. They compare global fund allocations across countries, poke fun at nationalist investing instincts, and explain why international diversification is essential. Listener calls cover early Social Security regret, 72(t) withdrawals, covered calls on Palantir, and what happens to target date fund...
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June 16, 2025 • 28 mins
In this episode of Talking Real Money, Don and Tom take aim at one of the most persistent investing mistakes: owning individual stocks. With humor and sharp skepticism, they explore why investors—even those who say they follow the show’s advice—still concentrate wealth in a few companies like Apple, NVIDIA, or their employer’s stock. Referencing Jason Zweig’s Wall Street Journal column and legendary research from Bessembinder, they...
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June 13, 2025 • 25 mins
Tom and Roxy dive into listener questions with sharp advice and sharper metaphors—like why a 1,000-point drop in the Dow is more like a slight temperature dip than a financial catastrophe. They cover smart asset location (where to put what), consolidation tips for retirement accounts, the often-overlooked costs of rental real estate, and the emotional tug-of-war between risk tolerance and capacity as retirement nears. Plus: a gentl...
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June 12, 2025 • 31 mins
This episode explores the psychological and financial side of retirement planning through the lens of entropy. Don and Tom dive into an article from Kiplinger that cleverly compares retirement to the second law of thermodynamics: left unmanaged, both money and purpose tend toward chaos. Only 4% of retirees say they're "living the dream"—and the duo explores why that number is so shockingly low. From maintaining routine and finding ...
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June 11, 2025 • 45 mins
Don and Tom dig into America’s $1.7 trillion in forgotten retirement accounts—29 million of them! They walk listeners through how to search for their own missing funds and share their own finds (or lack thereof). They answer questions about where to park $100K in short-term savings, when (or if) to convert to a Roth in your 70s, the pros and cons of ETFs versus mutual funds in taxable accounts, and the murky territory of backdoor R...
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June 11, 2025 • 45 mins
Don and Tom salute high-schoolers who tackled the National Personal Finance Challenge, then test listeners (and each other) with the same nine-question quiz—covering basics like principal vs. balance, Roth RMD rules, CDs, vesting, inflation risk, callable bonds, and limit orders. Call-in segments dig into real-world money puzzles: whether to sink home-sale proceeds into a new mortgage at today’s 7 % rates, how (and whether) to valu...
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June 9, 2025 • 29 mins
Don and Tom explore the evolution, promise, and pitfalls of Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs). While ETFs have become the dominant investment vehicle, boasting $8 trillion in assets and more than 4,000 choices, the duo cautions against the “novelty trap” that lures investors into trendy, high-cost, low-diversification funds. They advocate sticking with time-tested providers like Vanguard, Schwab, and Avantis, and urge listeners to focus...
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June 6, 2025 • 32 mins
In this Friday Q&A episode, Don answers a wide range of listener questions, covering everything from market timing behavior and condo pitfalls to portfolio simplification and strategic debt repayment. He offers heartfelt financial guidance with his usual mix of candor and compassion—including a personal confession about his own Social Security decision. Plus, he pleads (just a little) for positive Apple Podcast reviews to combat th...
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June 5, 2025 • 29 mins
A chaotic day leads Don into a deep (and entertaining) dive into the futility of market timing, spurred by a recent Morningstar article on Pacer’s Trendpilot ETF. Don and Tom break down the mechanics of the fund’s strategy, its underperformance compared to a simple 60/40 portfolio, and the long-term cost of trying to avoid downturns. Listener questions bring up diversification, Roth IRAs, and the eternal struggle with ticker symbol...
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